Primary schools in Beijing will open Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) classes during the following semester in order to spread knowledge regarding basic TCM among students, according to the Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau.

In an aim to popularize TCM culture on campus, this new program is to be carried out as part of the TCM Culture Construction Year and is spearheaded by several municipal government departments including the Beijing TCM Administration Bureau, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Health.

An official has stated that the TCM classes will not feature on the students' official curriculum and will solely focus on the popularization of the topic, the class will also not be listed as a test subject.

Teachers for the courses will be selected from applicants who possess previous experience teaching biology, Chinese, history, or traditional culture. After they make it through the selection rounds, they will attend a training course provided by TCM departments.

New TCM education textbooks will be introduced to Beijing pupils next semester. The textbooks for primary school students feature various short stories and cartoons about traditional Chinese medicine and teach the children about body care, psychological well-being and traditional culture through school courses, interest classes and onsite-practice in herbal gardens.

"The TCM program is not merely an introduction to a certain knowledge, but a cultural inspiration as well," said a source from Beijing's TCM Administration Bureau. "Both classroom teaching and herbal planting are aimed at improving students' physical and mental health."

Meanwhile, the bureau has set out to pilot TCM education in several Beijing middle schools. A unified TCM textbook for middle school students will be compiled as soon as next year.

In one of the pilot schools, the Beijing No. 5 Middle School Junior Branch, students apply their newly gained TCM knowledge in various optional courses such as cooking and martial arts. In those classes, they learn how to brew healthy herbal teas or do some shadow boxing to reduce stress, said some students.

(China.org.cn by Li Xiao June 25, 2012)

記者從北京市中醫藥管理局獲悉，為了在學生中普及基礎中醫藥知識，下學期起，北京市各小學將統一開設中醫課程。

“中醫文化進校園”是北京市開展中醫藥文化建設年工作的內容之一，由市中醫局、市教委、市文化局、市衛生局等多部門聯合舉辦，旨在在校園內傳播中醫藥傳統文化。

相關負責人表示，這項課程旨在普及中醫文化，課程不進課表，不列為考試項目。

該課程教師將從生物、語文、歷史、國學文化老師中選拔，報名遴選結束后，合格者將接受中醫部門培訓。

下學期起，北京市統一的中醫校本課程（小學版）將正式啟用。小學版讀本通過一個個小故事和漫畫，向小學生們傳遞生活保健、心理調節、國學等傳統文化的元素。該讀本將通過中醫藥校本課程班、中醫藥興趣班、中藥種植園地等多種形式進行普及。

北京市中醫藥管理局相關負責人稱，中醫文化進校園不僅是要講中醫知識，也是一種文化的熏陶。不論是開設中醫選修課，還是讓孩子們親手種百草，都是想讓孩子身體、心理的成長發育更健康。

北京市中醫局介紹，目前，中醫文化在中學內也已經有一定程度的試點探索。中學版讀本的編制工作正在進行中，最快有望明年面世。

在試點學校之一的北京五中分校，烹飪、武術等校內特色課程讓學生們將掌握的中醫傳統文化由理論應用到實踐。他們在這些選修課上學會了如何煮養生藥茶，或如何通過打太極拳緩解壓力。